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MONTHLY FLYER
A Volunteer Newsletter
June 2017
Everyone at Tri-State extends very special thanks to the planning committee and our dedicated volunteers,
staff, and board members who gave up their Sunday to make this family-friendly community event a success.
Mark your calendar now to join us next year on Sunday, May 6, 2018, for Tri-States annual Open House.
RECENT RELEASES
We admit a number of House Finches each year, but only rarely see Purple Finches. A homeowner found a
male Purple Finch suffering from Finch-Eye Syndrome in her driveway in Rising Sun, Maryland, on April 18.
With pain medications and warm compresses to ease his discomfort, the finch was soon self-feeding. As the
swelling to his eyes subsided, the finch became more active and began flying in the screen cage. Although the
bird molted all his tailfeathers, he was readily flying and continued to eat and gain weight. By mid-May, the
tailfeathers were growing in, and the bird was flying well and achieving good lift. The presenter returned on
May 10 and released the Purple Finch back in Rising Sun. Learn more about the Purple Finch in this months
Featured Bird article.
A beautiful Eastern Towhee came to us in late April after she hit a window in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
Volunteer Marian Quinn, who transported the bird, reported seeing the towhees mate and hearing him sing in
a nearby tree as she retrieved the female. Although the bird was alert on admission, she had sustained
fractures to both the left and right clavicle, and her respiration was labored, necessitating time in the oxygen
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 4
chamber. By the next morning, however, she was flying, jumping, vocalizing, and trying to escape at every
opportunity. Once the towhee began eating and the fractures stabilized, we moved her outside to give her an
opportunity for flight exercise. By early May, the towhee was fully recovered, and Marian Quinn and Rand
McIlvaine released her back to her home territory.
In early May, a Least Sandpiper became entangled in roots in a
pond on the farm property of the University of Delaware. By the
time its rescuer found the bird, it was contaminated with mud
and had a toe injury that indicated a possible attack by a
snapping turtle. Fortunately, it sustained no other injuries. When
the sandpiper arrived at the clinic, we gently removed clumps of
mud and rinsed its eyes, then allowed it to rest overnight. The
next day, we washed the bird and dried it using a heat lamp and
a heating pad. Dr. Cristin Kelley determined the injured toe could
not be saved and so amputated the digit on May 5. By the end of
that same day, the sandpiper was alert and flying well in its
playpen. Volunteer Jim McVoy released it to a suitable habitat in
nearby Pennsylvania.
Many times our successful efforts to save birds begin with our
partnerships with other wildlife rehabilitators. Such was the case
for a male Osprey that was first treated by the staff at Second Washing the Least Sandpiper Staff Photo
Chance Wildlife in Maryland. The adult male had lacerations
and other wounds on its wings as well as feather damage. While the Osprey was anesthetized, we cleaned,
debrided, and bandaged the lacerations and cleaned and sutured the wounds on his carpii. After allowing the
bird to recuperate from this procedure, we next removed his damaged feathers and implanted new feathers.
The following day, the Osprey was self-feeding and perching. Once its wounds healed, we move the bird into a
flight cage and soon observed it flying and landing on high perches. Volunteer Jim McVoy released the Osprey
to a suitable habitat in Smyrna, Delaware, on May 7.
Abby Himes graduated from Virginia Tech in 2005 and began working with wildlife in 2010 with the USDA and
National Wildlife Refuge in Guam. She has also volunteered at the Virginia Living Museum in Williamsburg,
providing animal care and handling raptors for education programs. Abby moved to Delaware in February 2017
with her husband, Chris, and English bulldog, Watson.
Full-time Interns
Jenn Larsen just finished her sophomore year as a zoo science major at Delaware Valley University. She
aspires to study zoo nutrition and potentially go into exotic animal medicine. Jenn loves to dance, bake, sew,
craft, play with her dogs and hamster, and watch Gilmore Girls. She loves birds of prey, especially owls.
A student at the University of Delaware, Megan Estrada is majoring in wildlife conservation. Her hobbies
include playing volleyball and mixing and mastering music.
A recent graduate of Philadelphia University with a bachelor degree in biology with a focus in ecology, Shane
McVoy was involved in ecological research during his college career and has held internship positions with the
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife as well as the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor. During his free
time, Shane enjoys bird watching, playing video games, hiking, kayaking, and sampling craft beers. He is
taking a year off from school to gain more experience and discover what he wants to study in graduate school.
Candace Casey is a rising junior at the University of Delaware. She will graduate with a bachelors degree in
wildlife ecology and conservation with a minor in resource economics. For the last year she has also worked as
a teaching assistant for an Economics of Agriculture and Natural Resource class. When shes not working or
in school, she loves spending time with her dog and turtle, reading, and dabbling in wildlife photography.
Part-time Interns
Caitlin Breyla is a sophomore at the University of Delaware with a major in wildlife ecology and conservation.
She hopes to study wildlife ecology in graduate school. Caitlin is from Newark, Delaware, and in her spare time
she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and painting.
A rising senior, Morgan Cochran attends the University of Delaware where she majors in wildlife conservation
and ecology. She enjoys many outdoor activities, especially fishing, planting, and hiking. When she is not in
school, she works as a waitress at the Glass Kitchen Restaurant. Morgan also obsesses over her French
bulldog and English bulldog.
A rising junior pre-veterinary medicine student at the University of Delaware, Natalia Ochoa hopes to be a
wildlife veterinarian. She enjoys playing guitar and taking long walks with her dog.
Alison Wright is a junior at the University of Delaware studying wildlife conservation ecology, agriculture and
natural resources with a minor in insect conservation and ecology. She enjoys running and is currently training
for a half marathon in September. Alison also loves to hike and enjoys being in the outdoors.
Leah Brooks is a rising junior at the University of Delaware pursuing a double major in environmental science
and wildlife conservation. She likes being outdoors and interacting with nature. Because she used to raise
domestic doves, Leah has some experience feeding baby birds and caring for adults.
Hailing from Elkins Park, a community right outside Philadelphia, Leah Zebovitz graduated from Franklin &
Marshall College with a degree in animal behavior. A long-time bird lover, Leah has done two independent
research projects focusing on birds. She is taking a couple of years off to get more experience before she goes
to graduate school.
About the same size as the House Finch at 5.5 to 6 inches long, the
Purple Finch has some distinguishing characteristics. The plumage
of the male Purple Finch has a more evenly distributed red wash,
but the color may be less vivid than that of the male House Finch.
Female Purple Finches are more strongly streaked and have a more
distinct facial pattern than female House Finches.
With its large seed-cracking beak, the Purple Finch prefers eating
seeds, but it will also consume fruit, insects, and caterpillars during
the summer. You may be able to entice this finch to your backyard
feeder with black oil sunflower seed.
The Purple Finch forms monogamous pairs and has one to two
broods of three to five young each year. The female incubates the
eggs for 13 days and broods the young. Both parents feed the
young until they leave the nest at 14 days old.
According to All About Birds, the Purple Finch populations seem to
be declining in eastern North America in areas where House Finch
populations have increased. One study of finch behavior found that
Purple Finches lost out to House Finches more than 95% of the
Photo by Hank Davis
times the two birds encountered each other. Learn more about
the Purple Finch at the Cornell Lab of Ornithologys All About Birds Web site, www.allaboutbirds.org. See also
Birds of North America, published by the Smithsonian Institution, or your own favorite birding book.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Yard Sale, Saturday, October 7, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our annual fundraiser for the birds will once again take
place at the Aetna Fire Hall in Newark. The donations trailer will arrive in early June to accept items on
specified days. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months in the Flyer and on the Tri-State website.
Benefit for the Birds, Friday, November 10, 6 to 11 p.m. We are returning to Deerfield in Newark in
2017. Deerfield is across Paper Mill Road, just over one mile from the Tri-State turn at Possum Hollow Road.
We will share more details about this important event in upcoming issues of The Monthly Flyer.
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